Insurrection [On Hold]

32 Sleeping Beauty

*Insurrection hit 12 in Science Fiction! Thank you guys so much!*

My eyes don't open when I wake up. I rub them, crust feeling rough against my hands. As gross as it sounds, I pick the crust away to open my eyes to darkness-- so dark I think my eyes might still be closed. I wonder if they have Drens here in Quill. I feel for the button along the railing of the bed. My fingers press down on a button. Nothing appears, but that button is a Dren one. That means I needed to wake up to nothing, just darkness. Because seeing a starry sky or a sunrise would only be depressing right now. Nate. He can't be dead. He can't be over.

I wipe away more crust. I must have cried while I was asleep.

Someone knocks on the door. Josie? If it is, then the perfect princess is about to grace me with her presence, and my hair is tangled, my eyes crusty, and I'm sure my breath smells like garbage as I have a horrible taste in my mouth. We princesses aren't all Sleeping Beauties. Even we snore. Though I'm convinced that Josie would be the Sleeping Beauty.

"Come in," I say. What time is it anyway? Maybe it's my dinner and not her? Maybe it's not morning yet.

The lights snap on and I squeeze my eyes shut. One. Two. Three. I open them. Josie walks in front of my bed, her maroon dress gliding behind her. A tiara sparkles on top of her black hair that falls in artificial curls down her back. I didn't need to unlock the door for her. She did that herself. That means that any royal family member of Quill who wants to get in my room has access. Maybe I should drag the chair from the vanity and barricade it against the door.

Sitting up, I run a hand through my hair, trying to tousle it, trying to do something with it. Jocelyn smiles at me, the perfect picture of grace at. . . what time is it? I'd really like to know. A glance at the window is all it takes to see that the curtains aren't closed and that it's dark outside. This could still be the same night. She's not holding dinner though so maybe it is morning. My stomach grumbles. I hope she didn't hear that.

"Good morning, Princess Raksana." It's morning.

"Princess Josie."

She takes a seat at the edge of my bed near my covered feet. "Jocelyn, not Josie, please."

I nod. Informalities are a thing of the past.

"It's so odd to see you," she says.

"How did you know I was awake?"

She pats my leg. "Your Dren sent off an alert you had woken." They're monitoring my sleep habits too.

"What time is it?"

"Six-thirty. Breakfast is in an hour." She rises, smoothing out her dress. "While you're in the shower, I'll bring in your dress for today."

I peel back the covers and enter the bathroom. I find it to be stocked with towels. Even though it is a private bathroom and I don't need to dry off as there's a fan in the shower, there are still towels.